Internal-combustion engine



0. G. ERICKSON.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1918.

1,331,632. Patented Feb. 24,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES IIVVEIVTOB it Oscar GErbcJasorz. W Mm M 4 ATTORNEYS 0. G. ERICKSON.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION -FILE D JAN. 12. 1918'.

1 ,33 1,632, Patented Feb. 24,1920.

1 4 SHEETS-SHEET s. i is A M 4m 41 I IIIIIIII IIITIIIII WITNESSES IN VENTOR Oscar azmcmm A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR GUSTAV ERICKSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 24, 1920.

Application filed January 12, 1918. Serial No. 211,551.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR GUSTAV ERICK- SON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines and'it consists in the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

One of the important objects of the invention is to provide an independent casting arranged to serve the combined function of a valve cage and a means for mounting or securing a portion of the intake manifold in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide an engine as described, wherein the detachability of the independent gas intake casting aflo'rds an avenue of access to the exhaust valves, for the purpose of removing these valves and regrinding them.

Another object of the invention is to provide anengine as described, embodying a novel construction of the valve cages, on top of the engine cylinders, wherein the intake and exhaust valves are disposed in opposition to each other and movable into the explosion pocket surmounted by the spark plu 6 O ther objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the engine viewed from the exhaust side,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation viewed from the intake side and showing the valve operating rocker arms for a pair of the cylinders, I

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the engine,

Fig. 4-. is a vertical section on the line 4-.4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a cross section onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on the line 66 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

In carrying out my invention I provide a crank case 1 in which bearings 2 are suitably arranged to.,support the crank shaft 3 which includes the cranks 4. Connecting rods 5 oin the cranks 4 with pistons 6 reciprocatmg in the respective cylinders above the crank case. The cylinders 7 are cast en bloc in pairs as clearly indicated in Figs. 1

and 3. Each pair of cylinders 7 is water jacketed at the top as at 8. The water jacket 8 completely nvelops the upper end it is so formed as to provide an exhaust pocket 12 directly over each cylinder 7. This pocket is in the nature of a chamber with a semi-circular top as shown in Fig. 3. The center of the semi-circular top is located on the axis of a pair of opposed valves which will presently be described.

An opening in the top of the exhaust pocket 12 admits a spark plug 13. There is a separate partition 14 located near the wall of the exhaust pocket 12 at the left, and the space between this wall and the partition 14 forms the continuation of the water jacket 8 of the cylinder, so that the parts of the engine that are subjected to the greatest heat, are completely enveloped in water so that the heat is effectively carried away. An exhaust gas chamber 15 is located between the partition 11 and the outer wall of the valve cage 9. The chamber 15 communicates with the pocket 12 through a pair of openings 16. Each of the openings 16 has an annular recess 17 on the inside. A ring 18 forming aseat for an exhaust valve 19, is located in the recess 17 of each of the openings 16.

An inlet valve 20 opposes the exhaust valve 19. The .stems of the valves are coaxial with each other, and the center of the semi-circular top of the explosion'pocket 12 is located on the axis of the valves as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The valve 20 engages a 1 connected to the carbureter 28.

valve seat 21 which consists of a tubular projection on the intake casting 10. The valve seat 21 projects through an opening 22 in the valve cage 9, opposite to the opening 16. The intake casting 10 is in the nature of a rectangular box and the shape of this casting is more clearly indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. Here it will be seen that the casting is long enough to accommodate a pair of the cylinders 7. It will also be observed more particularly in Fig. 5, that the projecting valve seats 21 are arranged in pairs on the casting 10 and are located directly opposite to the exhaust gas openings 16 of the chamber 15. The bolts 11 which secure the casting 10 onthe valve cage 9, pass through sleeves or bushings 23 inside of the casting 10. The bushings 23 may be cast integrally with the casting 10, or may be separate members as illustrated in the drawing. Either device may be employed as experience may demonstrate to be best. A gasket 24 is placed between the castin 10 and the cage 9 to prevent gas from lea ing around the joints.

A dome 25 is situated in the middle and at the top of the valve cage 9. A water pipe 26 is fastened to one side of the dome 25 and conducts the hot water to some cooling device as for instance, a radiator. The pipe 26 embraces the dome 25 of each of the valve cages, it being observed that there are two, one for each pair of cylinders. The construction of the cooperating mechanism for each pair of cylinders being the same, how- I ever, the description of one only has been given so far and will be continued.

Referring again to Fig. 5 it will be observed that the independent intake casting 10 has an opening in the middle of the exposed side, to which a portion of the intake manifold 27 is secured. The manifold 27 is The carbureter 28 is controlled by any suitable means commonly known in practice. The exhaust gas chamber 15 has a similarly located opening, to which a portion or branch of the exhaust manifold 29 is secured.

The exhaust and intake valves are reciprocated by rocker arms 30 which are identical in construction and in the manner of operation. Consider Fig. 4.- Each rocker arm 30 is journaled in a pair of'brackets 31. The brackets 31 on the intake side aresecured to the gas casting 10 by the same bolts 11 which secure the casting to the cage 9. The brackets 31 on the exhaust side are secured in place on the cage 9 by bolts 32 which pass through the chamber 15 and are protected from the hot gases in the chamber 15, by the bushings which are similar to those 23, in the casting 10. It will be observed that the bolts 32 occur only at the top of the cage 9, whereas in the instance of the intake casting 10 the bolts have a quaternary arrangement, that is to say, two are located above and two below each of the valve seats. It will readily be understood that this arrangement is necessary in the instance of the casting 10, since the security of the casting 10 on the cage 9 must be roperly insured.

he lower end of each rocker arm 30 has an adjusting screw 33 with a lock nut 34 for locking the adjustment, which bears against the end of the stem of the valve which the particular rocker arm operates. The stem passes through a bushing 35 screwed into a boss in either the cage 9 or casting 10, with a packing gland 36. A spring 37 disposed between the boss and a washer on the Valve stem normally presses the valve into its seat.

A cam shaft 38 has a plurality of pairs of exhaust and intake cams 39 and 40. These cams are adapted toperiodically strike the rollers on the ush rods 41 and 42 of the respective intal e and exhaust rocker arms 30. The rollers of the push rods are disarrangement of the rocker arms 30 on the intake side is shown. Each arm is offset toward the right and includes a relatively long hub 46 which is supported on the bearing pin 47 secured between the bracket members 31. It will be observed in' the same view, that the rocker arms 30 on the exhaust side are offset toward the left, the offset portions of these exhaust rocker arms being visible beneath the housing 44 of the cam shaft. It is necessary to offset the respective intake and exhaust rocker arms to the right and left as indicated, in order to bring the upper ends of these rocker arms into alinement with the respective rods 41 and 42, the intake and exhaust cams which actuate these push rods being located side by side as shown in Fig. 3. By offsetting the rocker arms as just described it is possible to locate the exhaust and intake valves coaxially and thus obtain the uniformity of construction indicated in Fig. 5, which is always of great value in a device of this kind.

Referring again to Fig. 2 it will be observed that the brackets 31 are almost straight between the points of connection on the passageway 10 and at the mounting of the hub 46. The bracket members may be cast as a unit by the interposed web located directly beneath the pin -47.- Obviously when the brackets are thus cast together, the inclination of the brackets and the distance between the bearing portions, becomes fixed.

Fig. 2 also shows the means for drivmg the cam shaft 38. A bevel gear 48 is fixe on the front end of the cam shaft and meshes with a bevel gear 49 on a vertical drive shaft 50. The shaft 50 is driven by the intermeshing gears 51 on the bottom of the shaft and on the crank shaft 3, respectively. The drive shaft 50 may also constitute the means for driving certain auxiliary devices such as a centrifu a1 circulating pump, .etc. engine is preferably employed in an airoooled englne, although it may be used in connection with the water-cooling system described and illustrated.

The operation of the engine is thought to be fully understood from the foregoing description although a brief review of the construction of the important parts of the invention may be of advantage. It has been fully pointed out that there is one independently cast gas intake casting 10 for each pair of en bloc cast cylinders 7 The portion of the engine constituting the valve cage 9 is cast integrally with the engine cylinders, and is smooth on the intake side so that the intake casting 10 may be firmly and snugly bolted thereupon.

Fig. 5 shows that the openings 21 on the intake side are substantially the same in diameter as the explosion pocket 12 is wide. It also shows that the exhaust valves 19 are smaller in diameter than the openings 21. The valve seat rings 18 are also of a lesser diameter than the openings 21. This structural arrangement leads to the consideration of an important feature of the invention.

The exhaust valves andthe rings 18 are inserted and fitted in place through the openings 21 from the intake side before the casting 10 is bolted in position. The intake valves 20 are completely assembled on the casting 10, and after the exhaust valves 19 have been properly adjusted, the casting 10 is simply bolted in place with the gasket 24.-

in the joint between. Here it may also be easily understood that when the exhaust valves or the intake valves require regrinding, the casting 10 may easily be removed and the necessary operation performed.

There may be other advantages which this particular arrangement will readily suggest to those skilled in the art. As has been formerly ex lained, the water jacket 8 completely enve o the upper portions of the cylinders and a so the walls of the explosion pocket and the adjacent portions of the valve seats. The circulating water The fan 52 att e front of the thus efliciently carries away the heat from the usually excessively heated portions.

In conclusion it should be emphasized that the problem sought to be solved by the peculiar constructions set forth, is to get the exhaust and inlet valves in the opposed arrangement in the same cage. In order to do this, the opening in the valve cage 9 is 1. Means for mounting the valves of an internal combustion engine; comprising a separate rectangular casting providing a relatively high but narrow gas passageway, witha pair of valve seats projecting laterally on one wall, to tightly engage corresponding openings in an engine structure, and an oppositely directed opening in the other wall between the valve seats, thus located to insure an even gas distribution in the narrow passageway to the valve seats when a manifold is bolted in place thereover; valve stem bushing receiving bosses on said other wall coaxially located with respect to said valve seats, and valves operatively'mounted in respect to said bushings and valve seats.

2. Means for cooling the adjacent surfaces of the inserted tubular valve seats of a separable unitary valve cage, comprising an en- .gine superstructure provided with valve seats and adjacent centrally located explosion pockets facing said valve seats and having lateral openings receiving the tubular valve seats, said superstructure being cored around the valve seats on one side and the lateral openings on the other side of the explosion pockets, to conduct water completely around the valves and the pockets.

3. The structural combination in an internal combustion engine, comprising a pair of cylinders, an integrally cast valve cage including a gas chamber and an explosion pocket with connecting openings having recesses on the inside, rings occupying the recesses and formin valve seats, exhaust valves resting in sa1d seats, said valve cage having openings on the other side of the explosion pocket in opposition to said valve seats, an independent casting having a gas passageway, including a pair of tubular proections constituting intake valve seats insertible in the opposed openings, and means for securing the casting in position on the valve cage.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having a water-jacketed top with an integral superstructure including an explosion pocket and having a partition bounding a space forming a continuation of the water jacket around the explosion pocket and including a ,water dome providing a pedestal, a cam shaft having cams, a bearleaving a smooth Wall at the other side, one of the Walls of the pocket having an exhaust valve seat opening, the opposite wall having a larger inlet valve seat opening, a separate intake casting consisting of a hollow body providing a gas passageway, having a sleeve insertible in the inlet valve seat opening and constituting the valve seat, means including bolts for securing said casting on saidsmooth wall and an exhaust valve for the exhaust valve seat and coaxially disposed inlet valvefor the inlet valve seat, a cam shaft having exhaust and inlet cams side by side, a push rod for each cam, bearing brackets secured to the superstructure and casting respectively, the bracket on said casting be-. ing held by certain of the securing bolts,

and rocker arms including hubs rotatably supported in the respective brackets, and including oppositely ofi'set portions with respect to each other for reaching the push rod anid the stem of the valve on the companion s1 e. 6. In an internal combustion engine, a crank case, a pair of cylinders cast en bloc and mounted onthe crank case, said cylinders having an integralsuperstructure ineluding an explosion pocket for each cylin- -der with a waterjacket" at the top of the cylinders continued in the superstructure and surrounding" the explosion pocket-s, the superstructure including a water dome forming a pedestal, one "wall, of each pocket having an exhaust valve seat opening, the opposing wall having a larger, inlet valve seat opening, an exhaust valve for the exhaust opening, said'valve being insertible through the inlet opening, a separate gas intake casting securable upon said superstructure and-including sleeves insertible in the inlet valve openings and constituting the valve seats, inlet valves on said seats and disposed ,coaxially with the exhaust valves, a cam shaft having exhaust and inlet cams side by side, a push rod extending from each cam, a bearing for the shaft including a standard mounted on the pedestal, and a rocker arm for each valve, the rocker arms on the inlet side having a portion offset in one direction, to reach the push rods of the inlet cams, the rocker arms on the exhaust side having portionsofi'set in the other direction to reach the push rods of the exhaust cams.

OSCAR GUSTAV ERICKSON. 

